June 2011

Communication and competence are key in finding the best repair shop for major equipment

Better risk assessment can identify root causes for potential site catastrophes before they occur

Optimization programs deliver benefits to existing and new plants

A growing trend is migrating to this new lubricating system for rotating equipment

This five-step approach is low-cost and offers safer learning experiences

Use these steps for enhanced performance

Energy conservation is a complex analysis on existing units, but benefits are possible

New tools improve prediction of unit feed qualities and yields

Advanced modeling methods provide useful information on operating main compressor system and feeds

A safety project has a better chance of being approved if the person making the payback decision understands the concept of “risk cost.” If there is a likelihood of a $1,000,000-cost event h..

LG Chem is Korea’s first and largest vertically integrated chemical company. Founded in 1947, the company has emerged as one of the world’s top 30 chemical makers. LG Chem produces a variety..

Expansion chambers (Fig. 1) are designed to restrict pressure increase in closed volumes. From basic physics, we, of course, know that the pressure in a closed volume increases as temperature goes up...

These days, the idea of optimizing comes up everywhere. We personally optimize our time, our retirement portfolio, our route to work, our diets, our energy use at home, and a host of other things. In ..

Natural gas demandAccording to the US Energy Infor-mation Administration, the total of more than 22.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas demand in 2010 was the highest-ever level in the US, exceeding ..

KBC Advanced Technologies recently published its refining outlook, a report that analyzes issues facing the global oil refining sector and discusses their impact on the crude-oil and refined-products ..

PVC demand returned to positive growth in 2010 following the collapse in consumption experienced in 2008 and 2009, according to a new report on market dynamics in the vinyls chain, published by Nexant..

The US oil and natural gas industry supports two million jobs in Texas and 24% of the state’s economy, according to a new study commissioned by API and conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers.API Pre..

KBR has been awarded a $65 million contract by Chevron Products Co. to execute a base-oil expansion project at Chevron’s refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The construction project includes bui..

Technip, in consortium with Tomé Engenharia, was awarded a lump-sum turnkey EPC contract by Petrobras for five new units at the Presidente Bernardes Refinery in Cubatão, state of São Pa..

Evonik Industries has started up a new facility to produce high-purity isobutene at its site in Antwerp, Belgium. The new plant, which involved investment of tens of millions of euros, can produce up ..

GS Engineering & Construction Corp. has signed a $556 million deal to build a gas storage facility in Kuwait. Under the deal with the state-run Kuwait National Petroleum Co., GS Engineering will compl..

Lummus Technology, a CB&I company, has a contract from Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries Inc. LLP (KPI) for the license and basic engineering of a propane dehydrogenation unit and a polypropylene pl..

China Blue Chemical Co. Ltd. and Davy Process Technology (DPT), a Johnson Matthey Co., announced the successful start- up, performance test and plant acceptance of a 2,500-metric ton/day methanol plan..

Foam provides effective thermal insulationBASF’s specialty foam Basotect is now used for the first time to insulate pipes in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank terminal in Gwangyang, Korea. The p..

Mini-siphon for replacement of old pigtail and coil siphons The WIKA mini-siphon Type 910.24 is said to specifically replace the old pigtail and coil siphon. It has a thermal barrier that protect..

Explosion-proof motors provide exceptional performance for extreme applications The Siemens line of XP100 motors are UL and CSA listed for gas and dust ignition-proof environments, and are suitab..

‘Leak-free’ involves monitoring and new equipment technology